(long) Defensive worries gone overboard; for nfldraftblitz

Generally most teams that use the 3-4 still use a 4 man front in nickel. Have you people never watched the Baltimore Ravens and Terrell Suggs?

Nickel makes up 50% of defensive snaps, alone.

Ellis and Glover will get 50% of their snaps in a 4 man set.

Glover will be off the field at what he does worst ... run defense and holding up the point of attack (that's according to his former GM Randy Mueller), and fresh for what he does best ... penetrating gaps and getting pass rush up the middle.

So much handwringing and sweaty palms over nothing.

The same Randy Mueller that built the Saints into the dynasty that they are? The same one who was out of work for how long? I'll take his opinion with a grain of salt. Glover was the best defensive player on the field last year.

Yes, the nickel will more than likely be a four man front. I agree that is where Glover will get the bulk of his snaps and be most effective. I have no issue with him getting his snaps that way. I do have questions about the 3-4.

However, I don't think it is handwringing and sweaty palms over nothing. Its a pretty big assumption to just think that Spears, Ware, James/Shanle, Ellis, Singleton/Burnett, etc. are just going to step in and be terrific in a 3-4.

I hope it works and I think it can, but its just naive to dismiss it as something that isn't a concern. Basically, its the biggest thing going on at VR and it has a lot of question marks behind it. I thought a message board was a place to discuss this stuff, not just follow along like a bunch of cattle.

The same Randy Mueller that built the Saints into the dynasty that they are? The same one who was out of work for how long? I'll take his opinion with a grain of salt.

Yes, the same one. The one who was just hired by Nick Saban for his 3rd general manager position in the NFL. , I personally think he's better qualified to speak on the subject than anyone on this board ... by quite a large margin, really. He's actually sat in film rooms while coaches were grading him, as opposed to basing their opinions off of hype and reputation. And the fact that Parcells seems to have no qualms putting him on the bench this year in non nickel situations, and really wanted to do it last year had Daleroy Stewart not been such a flop, speaks volumes as well.

He's just not a good player at the point of attack and leaves huge rushing lanes behind him by jumping gaps. I don't blame him for jumping gaps .. he's a 282 lbs. But he is what he is.

Yes, the same one. The one who was just hired by Nick Saban for his 3rd general manager position in the NFL. , I personally think he's better qualified to speak on the subject than anyone on this board ... by quite a large margin, really. He's actually sat in film rooms while coaches were grading him, as opposed to basing their opinions off of hype and reputation. And the fact that Parcells seems to have no qualms putting him on the bench this year in non nickel situations, and really wanted to do it last year had Daleroy Stewart not been such a flop, speaks volumes as well.

He's just not a good player at the point of attack and leaves huge rushing lanes behind him by jumping gaps. I don't blame him for jumping gaps .. he's a 282 lbs. But he is what he is.

That is total fabrication, post a source that says Parcells wanted to play Stewart over Glover, except in the nickel. Total and complete BS.

Its not a total fabrication to say that Parcells wanted to give Stewart more snaps and Glover less. He said as much in the mini-camps last year. And I don't think they were talking about giving Stewart more snaps in the nickel, either. Ideally, Parcells probably would have prefered a 65/35 total snap ratio between Glover and Stewart, with Glover in on all nickel packages. With nickel packages taking up 50% of the snaps, that would have only left Glover with 15% of snaps in the base. Which is exactly what we should see this year. Glover getting spot duty in the base, and extensive duty in nickel .. which gives him 65%-70% of the total snaps. Which is how he would be best utilized.

So why is it such a huge concern that he's not playing as many snaps this year and not last year? At least he's sharing time with a real football player this time.

Glover at DE in a 34 is a waste of his talents. I have said this for a very long time. I am content to wait and see how this plays out. I stand by what I posted earlier. Glover playing at DE in a 34 is not the best use of his talents. Ellis getting moved to a 34 DE will prove to be the same IMO. We will see.

Glover at DE in a 34 is a waste of his talents. I have said this for a very long time. I am content to wait and see how this plays out. I stand by what I posted earlier. Glover playing at DE in a 34 is not the best use of his talents. Ellis getting moved to a 34 DE will prove to be the same IMO. We will see.

Some of us have watched enough 3-4 to know that they use 4 man fronts in the nickel, which is 50% of the snaps, which are the snaps that Glover will be playing. Some of us have enen watched enough to know that the nose guard will be lined up in the center-gap at times.

And even the 3-4 "base" package is not much of a "base". Its much more diverse and complicated than these vanilla, textbook "The noseguard lines always over the center in a 0 technique" type of elemetary factoids of the JJT variety.

Yes, the same one. The one who was just hired by Nick Saban for his 3rd general manager position in the NFL. , I personally think he's better qualified to speak on the subject than anyone on this board ... by quite a large margin, really. He's actually sat in film rooms while coaches were grading him, as opposed to basing their opinions off of hype and reputation. And the fact that Parcells seems to have no qualms putting him on the bench this year in non nickel situations, and really wanted to do it last year had Daleroy Stewart not been such a flop, speaks volumes as well.

He's just not a good player at the point of attack and leaves huge rushing lanes behind him by jumping gaps. I don't blame him for jumping gaps .. he's a 282 lbs. But he is what he is.

Boy, that fired you up, you had to post the same thing twice in a row one minute apart.

Sure, Randy Mueller may be better qualified than some on this board....but that still doesn't make him good at his job. Taking a job as a figure head GM in an organization run by Saban I am sure isn't his dream job.

Glover commands a ton of double teams, of course it makes sense to get him fewer snaps. Of course, with some players with actual talent beside him, maybe he gets fewer double teams and remains fresher to make more plays. I really doubt if he was concerned about Daleroy Stewart stealing his snaps.

And I agree, he is what he is. The best player on the Cowboys defense last year. I am not opposed to getting him fewer snaps and making him part of a rotation. I do think a scheme needs to be in place that maximizes his effectiveness. That is what a good defense does, creates a scheme to maximizes the effectiveness of the players on the squad. I am not ready to throw Glover on the scrap heap yet.

Assets A tremendous penetrator with a great burst off the line. Hard worker with great technique. Uses his hands well and doesn't let blockers latch on. Plays the run well and is always in the backfield.
Flaws Gets worn down by double teams. Will never repeat his 17-sack performance of two seasons ago.
Career potential Excellent starter.

Plays with a wide base, plays with good leverage and possesses good lower body strength. Uses hands well, has the upper body strength to maintain separation from offensive linemen and can shed blocks quickly. Shows excellent lateral mobility, rarely gets sealed when teams run outside and does a nice job of forcing backs to stretch runs outside. Plays with a good motor and is relentless in pursuit. Takes good angles to the ball and does a nice job of closing down cutback lanes. Is relentless and shows a variety of different moves. Shows good awareness and runs line stunts well. Hasnt missed a game since the 1997 season and is durable. However, Glover lacks ideal bulk for a defensive tackle and ideal speed for a defensive end. Cant regularly beat double teams and is vulnerable to wearing down over the course of the game when lined up on the inside.